UConn goalie coach Vince Stalletti hired by AHL's Coachella Valley Firebirds

UConn men’s hockey’s goaltending coach Vince Stalletti is leaving to take the same position with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds, the team announced on Thursday. He spent the last five seasons on staff as the Huskies, first as a volunteer assistant from 2020-23 before becoming full-time ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

Head coach Mike Cavanaugh often called Stalletti one of the top goaltending coaches in college hockey — and the numbers back it up.

During UConn’s Hockey East Era, the five best career goals against average marks, five of the top six career save percentage holders and four of the top five single-season GAAs came under Stalletti.

He also coached three players who signed NHL contracts — Tomas Vomacka (Nashville Predators), Callum Tung (New York Rangers) and Arsenii Sergeev (Calgary Flames) — signed NHL contracts — and three players who started in the 2025 NCAA Tournament — Tung, Sergeev (Penn State) and Logan Terness (Ohio State).

In addition to Stalletti’s work with the Huskies’ goaltenders, he also took over the team’s video responsibilities this past season.

With Stalletti off to Coachella Valley — affiliate of the Seattle Kraken — UConn has an opening on its coaching staff for the second straight year. Cavanaugh will presumably look to add a new goaltending coach to work alongside associate head coach Tyler Helton and second-year assistant Nick Peruzzi.